Dragnet folding device

ABSTRACT

A device for folding a dragnet on a deck includes a pair of rotors between which a dragrope is introduced and a reciprocatable reel driven by a reciprocatable gear to releasably wind a control rope thereon.

O United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,882,627

Takamura May 13, 1975 DRAGNET FOLDING DEVICE 3,069,799 12/1962 Puretic 43/8 1 l [76] Inventor: Daigo Takamura, 73, Azatateshita, 1 (W970 Demmen 43/8 lwaki, Japan Primary Examiner-Warner H. Camp [22] Flled' July 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, [21] Appl. No.: 383,136 Sullivan and Kurucz [52] [1.8. CI. 43/8 51 Int. Cl AOlk 73/12 [57] ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 43/8, 9, 6.5; 225541113378, A device for folding a dragnet on a deck includes a pair of rotors between which a dragrope is introduced and a reciprocatable reel driven by a reciprocatable [56] uNlTE g s qfz ris giqrENTs gear to releasably wind a control rope thereon.

2,859,882 11/1958 Puretic 43/8 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures FATENTEB HAY 3 3 SHEET 10? 3 PATENTEB HAY I 319. 5

SHEET 2 BF 3 mama; MAY 1 3 ms SHEET 3 BF 3 DRAGNET FOLDING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for folding on a deck a dragnet pulled by a hauler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a device for folding a dragnet comprising a pair of pinching ball rotors through which a dragrope is accumulated on a deck, a reciprocatable housing for supporting said ball rotors, means for rotating said ball rotors, and means for reciprocating said housing above the deck, so that the operation of the dragnet folding can be completely accomplished by a mechanical power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This invention will be understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device for folding a dragnet embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an essential part of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of another embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment of this invention in which a plurality of the dragnet folding devices with poles are illustrated;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an embodiment of this invention in which a plurality of the dragnet folding devices only with a pole are illustrated; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Refering to FIGS. I and 2, a net hauler 1 according to the present invention comprises a pair of ball rotors 2, 2' rotated in the opposite directions to each other by suitable driving means.

The housing of said net hauler 1 is hung from the top portion of a guide pole 3, from which is hung a housing 4 by means of a rope 5.

To the housing 4 are rotatably supported a pair of rotors 6, 6' having elastic layers 7, 7 for example rubber layers which form spherical surfaces on said rotors.

Said rotors 6, 6' are fixed to shafts 8, 8 journaled on the housing 4 and have spur gears 9, 9' mutually intermeshed and driven by means of a motor 10. Said shafts 8, 8 are further provided with sectorial spur gears 11, l l The sectorial spur gears 11 and 11' each bear gear teeth covering 180 of the outer perimeter of the gears 11 and 11'. Each of the gears of 11 and 11' are mounted so that each are alternatively intermeshed with a spur gear 12 journaled on the housing 4. By the term alternatively intermeshed I mean that gears 11 and 11 are not simultaneously intermeshed with spur gear 12. Said spur gear 12 is axially connected to a rope reel 13 for winding a rope 14, one end of which is secured to a body of the guide pole 3, and the other end of which is secured to and wound on the reel 13.

In operation, when the dragnet is hauled by the hauling device 1, a dragrope (a) is induced into the space of the rotors 6, 6 by the driving of the motor in such a manner that the frictional operation is applied to the dragrope (a) by the rotor layers 7, 7' mutually depressed. In this operation, the gear 12 is alternatively intermeshed with the gears 11, 11' so that the reel 13 is driven, alternatively, in the direction opposite to that of the sectorial gear 11 or 11' which is engaged by spur gear 12.

This operation results in winding and unwinding of the rope 14 thereby to cause the housing 4 to be reciprocatingly moved above the deck so that the hauled dragnet is mechanically folded on the deck.

Another folding device of the same type of this invention is used to simultaneously pull the bottom dragrope (b) of the dragnet.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment modified from that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A device for reciprocating the housing 4 comprises a connecting rod 21, one end of which is pivoted to a connector 22 attached to the rope 5, and a crank disc 23 driven by means of a motor (not shown) and rotatably connected to the other end of the rod 21 in an eccentric position to the axis thereof.

In operation, the rotation of the crank disc 23 results in reciprocating the connecting rod 21, so that the dragnet is folded and accumulated on the deck.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 involves a plurality of dragnet folding devices A with the corresponding poles 3. Said poles 3 are respectively joined to the mast-poles B in such a manner that the respective pole 3 is pivotally connected to the respective mast-pole B at the base portion.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 involves a plurality of dragnet folding devices A with the corresponding poles 3. Said poles 3 are joined to a common mast-pole B by means of a pivot.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for folding a dragnet on a deck, which comprises;

a pair of spherical ball rotors, each of which has an outer surface of elastic rubber and each of which is elastically pressed towards the other so as to frictionally engage a drag rope introduced between said rotors;

a reciprocatable housing supporting said pair of rotors and enclosing means for rotating each of said spherical ball rotors in directions opposite to each other; and

means for reciprocating said housing above said deck.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said housing is suspended from the intermediate portion of a guide pole mounted on said deck and wherein said means for reciprocating said housing comprises;

dual shafts, each of which is connected to a different one of said spherical ball rotors and each of which rotates in the direction of the rotor to which it is attached, said shafts being mounted in said housing;

a pair of sectorial gears, each of which is connected to and driven by one of said shafts, respectively;

a full gear mounted within said housing so as to alternatively intermesh first with one and then with the other of said pair of sectorial gears so as to drive said full gear in alternating directions;

a reel supported on said housing and connected to said full gear so as to rotate alternatively in a first direction and then in a second direction; and

a rope having one end secured to a predetermined position upon the lower portion of said guide pole and a second end which is secured to and releasably wound upon said reel so that it is wound upon said reel when said reel rotates in its first direction and is unwound from said reel when said reel rotates in its second direction.

* II! =I 

1. A device for folding a dragnet on a deck, which comprises; a pair of spherical ball rotors, each of which has an outer surface of elastic rubber and each of which is elastically pressed towards the other so as to frictionally engage a drag rope introduced between said rotors; a reciprocatable housing supporting said pair of rotors and enclosing means for rotating each of said spherical ball rotors in directions opposite to each other; and means for reciprocating said housing above said deck.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said housing is suspended from the intermediate portion of a guide pole mounted on said deck and wherein said means for reciprocating said housing comprises; dual shafts, each of which is connected to a different one of said spherical ball rotors and each of which rotates in the direction of the rotor to which it is attached, said shafts being mounted in said housing; a pair of sectorial gears, each of which is connected to and driven by one of said shafts, respectively; a full gear mounted within said housing so as to alternatively intermesh first with one and then with the other of said pair of sectorial gears so as to drive said full gear in alternating directions; a reel supported on said housing and connected to said full gear so as to rotate alternatively in a first direction and then in a second direction; and a rope having one end secured to a predetermined position upon the lower portion of said guide pole and a second end which is secured to and releasably wound upon said reel so that it is wound upon said reel when said reel rotates in its first direction and is unwound from said reel when said reel rotates in its second direction. 